Chapter 973 Farce - The President

The auction is over, but the impact of the auction continues. The warship trade has never been inseparable from politics, and this time was no exception.

The temporary compromise between Britain and Austria is naturally the highlight, and the active participation of other countries in the auction is also a political signal that shows the outside world's recognition of Austria's hegemony.

It is human nature to tend to pros and cons. Now that the dust has settled, showing goodwill may not be able to make the Vienna government look at it differently, but it will definitely be "looked differently" if it is not good.

In this context, whether it is necessary to buy warships or not, representatives of various countries have called the price at least once, and the atmosphere is absolutely hot.

Of course, it was mainly because of the split auction. The minimum starting price was only 200,000 Aegis, and everyone still had the ability to bid. If all were large fleets, it would not be so lively.

Who dares to make random quotations without money, what if there is a deal? The confiscation of the security deposit is a small matter, but if it is considered to be deliberately disruptive, it will be a big trouble.

The world's second navy fleet, together with shipbuilding technology + engineers, the final total transaction price was only 130 million Aegis, including more than 30 million Aegis after deducting the insider trading of the anti-French alliance countries, which simply fell to the floor. the price of cabbage.

Franz, however, was satisfied. Unlike the local tyrants of later generations, there are too few countries with purchasing power these days.

In addition to the defeated France, the only countries with a fiscal revenue of more than 100 million Aegis are Britain, Austria and Russia, and there are fewer than ten countries with a fiscal revenue of more than 20 million Aegis.

After deducting 60 million from the British, it is possible to get nearly 40 million from other countries, even if you are not satisfied.

"After the settlement is completed, divide it among the allies according to the indemnity ratio. They are all waiting for the flour to make bread!"

Dividing money is a must, and Austria has never been the master of eating alone. On the issue of sharing, the Vienna government has always done a good job, which is also an important reason why Austria has a good international reputation.

...

Foreign Secretary Wesenberg: "Yesterday afternoon I met with the Spanish representatives, and the Spaniards want us to honor our previous commitments to support them in the next war in the Philippines.

Taking into account the need to rebuild the international order, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs suggested that the agreement should be fulfilled to support Spain in cutting off the Japanese's tentacles in the Southeast Asian region. "

Verbal promises are naturally not binding. In normal times, the Japanese robbed the Philippine Islands, and Austria would not mind to help them.

After all, the Vienna government also coveted the Philippine Islands, but was unable to do so due to political influence.

If it fell into the hands of the Japanese, this pressure would cease to exist. Austria can completely wait for Spain to give up the Philippines, then find an excuse to beat the Japanese and take the Philippine Islands by the way.

I don't know whether to call the Japanese lucky or unlucky. Sooner or later, it is just in time for Austria to rebuild the international order.

The anti-French alliance has not been disbanded yet. Once Spain brings the Philippine war to the Vienna Peace Conference for discussion, Austria will definitely help first and then help.

The tragic thing is that the Japanese don't take up both, not to mention that the Vienna government will not support them, and it is estimated that European countries will not support them.

The only people who hope that the Japanese government can win may be the French. It is a pity that the defeated France has no right to speak.

Once the Vienna Peace Conference makes a resolution, as a rule maker and a vested interest, the Austrian government will definitely support Spain in order to maintain the authority of the Peace Conference.

Seeing the duck in his hand fly, Franz said angrily: "Tell the Spaniards that it's okay to support them, but we won't go to war.

Let them do a good job of preparations, show the prestige of the European world, and don't imitate the French in Vietnam. "

There is no doubt that the Spaniards also calculated the position of Austria, and only came to support it. But if some benefits are promised, Franz's reminders will be more subtle.

...

On April 2, 1892, at the Royal Austrian Opera House, the Vienna Peace Conference officially kicked off.

No flowers, no applause, and no so-called opening ceremony. There was only one big, cold round table, plus a few rows of chairs.

There is no doubt that not everyone is qualified to be at the negotiating table. In addition to the anti-French alliance countries, at least the regional powers that can appear at the negotiating table are also influential.

"This time, I invite you to come here, mainly to ask you to be a witness, to deal with the follow-up affairs of the anti-French war, and to establish a new international order.

On the issue of order, we will discuss it slowly later, and now we should take care of the aftermath of the anti-French war first. "

Wesenberg took the word "witness" very seriously, and the meaning to be expressed is very obvious: you should not interfere with the aftermath of the anti-French war, and we can handle it by ourselves in the anti-French alliance. Pull slowly when ordering.

This blatant statement undoubtedly hurt many delegates. After all, we are also participating in international conferences, and we are not allowed to express our opinions. It is simply...

Before everyone could react, the well-prepared Belgian representative started to accuse France of atrocities.

A lot of evidence has been brought to the table, and even the disappearance and murder of soldiers who were used by the French as a casus belli for declaring war has now been reinterpreted.

The Belgian representative finished speaking, the German Confederation representative followed, and then the Italian states took turns to complain.

Witness testimony, historical materials, photos, confessions of French officers and soldiers, everything is there. In a sense, the fact that the Vienna Peace Conference has dragged on for so long is for everyone to collect evidence

of.

As pieces of shocking evidence appeared, the scene was so touching that many of the delegates who attended the meeting left trembling tears.

Of course, no one will know whether it is really touched or false. After all, there are multiple cameras in the hall recording this historic scene.

Listening to everyone's accusations, President Robert, the representative of France, buried his head very low, reducing his sense of existence as much as possible.

There is no way, the more tragic the content of the anti-French alliance's accusation, the more evidence it presents, the more detrimental it will be to France, and it also means the greater the price France will have to pay in the future.

refute?

Not to mention, is there any chance for him to speak. Even if he asked him to speak, he didn't know where to start.

As a revolutionary, Robert's knowledge of the war was limited to the information left by the previous government and the reports of the domestic media.

The things recorded by one's own people are naturally unavoidable for beautification. Many of the key details are all overdue. Want to know the specific situation, they have been unable to find the parties.

Robert always thought that this was just an ordinary continental hegemony war, and there were many similar battles in history.

From the perspective of the scope of the war, the French army only stayed in Central Europe and Italy, far less than the Napoleonic era all the way to Moscow.

In President Robert's view, the consequences are the most serious now, and the punishment is slightly heavier than the last time, and it will be fine after a few years.

However, the reality is cruel. Just from the losses listed by the anti-French alliance countries, Robert knew that France was in big trouble this time.

After the Anti-French Alliance defined the nature of war as "aggression" and "anti-aggression", Robert finally couldn't bear it any longer. He knew very well that if he didn't speak up now, it would be more difficult to explain it later.

"protest!"

"France is also a victim of this war. It was Napoleon IV who started the war. His personal mistakes cannot be paid for by all the French people.

We ask the General Assembly to issue a warrant for the arrest of the war criminal Napoleon IV, and to give an account to the millions of people who died in this war..."

Before Robert could finish speaking, Wesenberg, the host of the meeting, scolded: "Shut up!"

"Mr. Robert, don't you feel ashamed that you are unwilling to take responsibility when you encounter something, and throw the blame on yourself to be loyal to the emperor?

Sorry, I forgot that you have revolutionized. It's a chaotic party itself, so naturally I don't feel ashamed.

But such a shameless thing, you can do it, we can't do it. Wanting an emperor, even an exiled emperor, is also not allowed by the international community. "

"shameless!"

"There is no father in sight!"

...

A series of scolding continued to be staged in the conference room. Obviously, Robert's target was wrong. Most of the delegates participating in the meeting are from monarchical countries, and it is obviously a "taboo" to dump the emperor.

Especially in the case of camera records, in order to be politically correct, representatives of various countries must also stand up and express their positions.

Several representatives of the Republic, including Robert's high hopes, also joined the scolding battle and sprayed him with blood.

support?

What a joke, for France to face so many monarchies, it must be tired of living.

Before he realized it, Robert came up with a solution. A cup had already flown towards him and passed him by, followed by documents and pens.

Chaos, since someone took the lead in using violence, Servants have gathered, and the scene has completely fallen into chaos.

Obviously, there are many smart people. There is a camera behind it to record, how can such a good opportunity be missed?

Frankly, Wesenberg wouldn't mind joining if he wasn't the host of the meeting. After all, there are not many opportunities to show loyalty, so how can you miss it when you send it to your door?

In any case, Robert is also the president of France, and in case of an accident in Vienna, Austria will be embarrassed.

"Guards, keep order!"

By the time everyone was pulled away, Mr. Robert, who was iron-handed, had a bruised face and a blossoming head.

Fortunately, the wound was not deep, and the medical conditions in Austria were also good. They were rescued in time, otherwise the Vienna Peace Conference would be a joke.

...

After receiving the news at the Vienna Palace, Franz once suspected that the French had sent a dead man and deliberately came to do things to reduce the war penalty.

This speculation is well-founded, judging from the situation recorded by the camera, the earliest water cups were flown out of the British delegation.

In an instant, Franz made up the picture of Anglo-French collusion, exchanging a dead man in exchange for preserving the vitality of France.

It turned out that he was thinking too much. The French, under the eyes of the coalition forces, have not yet been able to manipulate these matters.

According to the collected information, President Robert is also an important leader of the Revolutionary Party, who has led workers' uprisings many times and played an important role in the Paris Revolution.

Apart from his lack of political acumen, this passionate and brave revolutionary has few shortcomings in life and work.

It's right to think about it. The revolutionary government in Paris has been slow to elect a president, but no one is willing to take this hot potato.

Robert, who was excluded from the center of power after the success of the revolution, was able to be elected president, which itself was used to take the blame.

As for national interests, that is completely overthinking. Antifa

The alliance is so strong that France has no capital to negotiate.

Whether it's sending the world's most powerful diplomat or sending a pig, the end result will not be fundamentally different.

As long as he is a little politically minded, Robert will not accept orders in danger when everyone is retreating, and take on an errand that is destined to bring him notoriety.